So, I Don't Do Transitions Well...

When I was a child, I was always that kid who turned into a brat the last month of school.Most kids turned into brats because they were too excited about the approaching summer. I turned into a brat because I didn't want the school year to end. From a young age I knew that the end of a school year ment my schedule was going to change, and I resisted that change by being moody and throwing temper tantrums.

I hate transitions. In conversations I often jump from one unrelated point to another, and become frustrated when a friend or co-worker can't keep up. I received an A- on my high school senior thesis because I forgot to transition from one body paragraph to another. 

Part of the reason that it's been a month since my last blog post is because my life lately has been a series of major transitions. Three weeks ago I moved out of my home on Elizabeth Street and into the apartments above the Word of Life office to participate in Summer Household, a six week summer residential program. Saying goodbye to the women I lived, and sought the Lord with was tough. The move itself was tough, let alone living with nine new women in a space designed for thee. 

Two and a half weeks ago my GAP year officially ended. In a span of 48 hours I parted with part of my identity, twelve of the craziest, sweetest, solid partners in crime I've ever known, and the structure and stability that comes with a clear sense of vision and purpose. The day after my GAP year ended I had my second sob fest since I arrived in August. The first was a reaction to the pain of my ruptured galb bladder. 

What makes this period of transition particularly painful is that there does not appear to be an end in sight. In three weeks I move back to my parent's house for two weeks before I move again into the house I'll be living in for the next year. While I'm adjusting to life in Pittsburgh again I need to find a part-time job, figure out how to locate and afford a used car, and catch up on the relationships I've put on hold for a year. All while trying to rest and prepare myself for the exciting adventure known as your first year of UCO Staff work. 

As I'm processing all of my fears and anxieties about the next several months, I'm reminded of a scripture passage from Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future."

I do not know what the next several months are going to look like. I do know that the only way to find out is to trust in the Lord and in his plans for my life. I may hate transitions, but my life is a testament to the way in which the Lord can transition the lives of people who are willing.